Pakistan, the nuclear Somalia…

A Taliban march on Islamabad becomes increasingly a possibility, as Pakistani Talibans last night attacked a heavily secured Air Force base in Karachi, Pakistan at approximately 2 AM. Around 15-20 heavily armed terrorists, with rocket propelled granades, shoulder fired missile launchers, and assault rifles, attacked the Air Force base PNS Mehran, which also houses the Pakistani Navy air group, right at the heart of the commercial capital of Pakistan raises question on the failing state.

The Pakistani Taliban spokesperson Ihsan Ullah claimed the attack to be a “revenge for the death of Osama Bin Laden and against the entire infidel foprces of the World.” He also warned saying that this attack proves that they are capable of attacking any place in the World, at anytime.

The Pakistani Taliban spokesperson claimed that the group has got sufficient ammunition and supplies to survive for “days”. So far 11 people have been killed, but the exact number of casualties on the government and the millitant sides is still not confirmed.

This is the third largest attack on Pakistani armed forces in the last week, the last one being the bombing of a bus carrying Navy cadres, killing over 50.

Two aircrafts, including a P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, given by USA last June, a fuel tanker, and a helicopter was destroyed by the terrorists.

The PNS Mehran base is within miles of the largest air force base of Pakistan, which is probably also a suspected place of storage of nuclear materials. The attack points out to the increasing radicalisation of the armed forces of Pakistan, as such an attack could not be planned and executed without some inside help from someone inside the Pakistani Navy.

Also it raises the unanswered question about the safety of the nuclear materials in the custody of Pakistan. If the Terrorists can get hold of any IRBM and nuclear materials, a few Indian and Israeli cities, and a few thousand NATO soldiers in Afghanistan might go up in smoke within minutes, including your’s truly, in Mumbai, only 800 KMs from Karachi…